With very little action in the first, Lenyn Sosa picked up a walk in the second, but the White Sox failed to do anything. Josh Jung tripled in the bottom of the second and crossed the plate when Danny Jansen doubled, putting the Rangers on the board.
In the top of the third, Tristan Peters was hit by a pitch, and with one out, Derek Hill singled on a bunt. With two outs, Everson Pereira drew a walk to load the bases for Jarred Kelenic, prompting a pitching change for the Rangers. Josh Hejka stepped in. Naturally, Kelenic grounded out to end the inning.
In the fourth, LaMonte Wade Jr. picked up a four-pitch walk with one out and stole both second and third, but was caught in a rundown on Curtis Mead’s grounder. Mead made it to second base on the rundown and got to third on a wild pitch, but it was all in vain when Korey Lee struck out.
After giving up a walk and hit by pitch in the bottom of the fifth, Sean Burke was pulled and replaced by Ben Peoples. Thankfully, Peoples got Jake Burger to line out and end the inning. After giving up that run in the first, Burke settled down pretty well, going 4 ⅔ innings with three hits, three walks and four Ks.
[Quick World Baseball Classic update: Sam Antonacci showed off his White Sox skill set by leaving the bases loaded for Italy while watching his third strike fly by in the sixth inning.]
Back to Arizona, where Jordan Leasure came in to face the Rangers in the bottom of the seventh and immediately gave up a double to Ezequiel Duran. With one out between plays, Wyatt Langford walked, putting runners in the corners. Burger ended the threat after being called out on strikes.
In the mix of the inning, there was a really great catch from Hill:
In the eighth Alejandro Osuna singled with one out, and Cooper Johnson picked up a walk. Jansen managed his second RBI double of the night, making it 3-0. Those two insurance runs would loom large in mere minutes …
… because just as I was writing the team off with a funny comparison of cold bats and the city of Chicago’s cold front, the White Sox scored two late runs. Dustin Harris hit a one-out double, and Oliver Dunn brought him in with a home run to make it 3-2.
CWS – Oliver Dunn 2-run HR (3) 🌴 Spring Training 🌴
📏 396 ft | 💨 103.4 mph | 📐 32° ⚾️ 86.1 mph cutter (TEX – RHP Peyton Gray) 🏟️ Out in 29/30 MLB parks
Alas, the ninth-inning rally would be fruitless after William Bergolla Jr. lined out, and Lee struck out swinging. Lee would end up with a golden sombrero, whiffing all four times up to the plate. Come back soon, Kyle Teel!
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: Kristaps Porzingis #7 of the Golden State Warriors dunks the ball in the second quarter against Anthony Gill #16 of the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on March 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors snapped a five-game losing streak on Monday night, getting a much-needed 125-117 win over the Washington Wizards. It was an entertaining game, with the Warriors at times flirting with turning it into a blowout, and at other times risking blowing a lead and suffering another gut-wrenching loss.
But in the end, it was the first win in 11 days for the shorthanded Dubs. So let’s grade the players who got the job done. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that individual.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Monday’s games, league-average TS was 58.0%.
Well … Steve Kerr ripped into Richard during Sunday’s loss for a turnover, and the rookie responded by playing 32 minutes without a single turnover. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good game for him. He seemed out of rhythm, and couldn’t by a bucket. Still, not turning the ball over while playing the level of perimeter defense he plays means he was an asset, even in a down game. But hard to get a good grade when you’re a non-factor on one end of the court.
There was one big weakness in Santos’ game on Monday: he repeatedly got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. That meant he had to go to the bench early in the second quarter with a third foul, and it meant that one of the best players on the team played a few seconds shy of 28 minutes.
But other than that? Near perfection. While the team struggled to shoot from deep, Santos drained three after three when the Dubs needed it most. He shot 4-for-6 from beyond the arc … his teammates? 5-for-26. His defense was strong, his energy was infectious, and he always had a big play up his sleeve … when he was on the court, at least.
Grade: A Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
Green did some good stuff in this game and some bad stuff in this game. His defense wasn’t as good as it’s been in recent weeks, and he had some truly careless turnovers. He also had a masterful game boxing out, set strong screens, and had some great playmaking. A lot of key stuff, but it didn’t feel like he was one of their most impactful players.
Grade: B- Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds and assists, worst plus/minus on the team.
Podz had a hard time getting his offense going in this one. I wouldn’t say he was forcing things, per se, but things weren’t easy, even though he got a lot of shots off. He also took a violent forearm to the face and seemed a little woozy, so hopefully he’s OK. As usual, he had some nice plays doing the small things, but ultimately the offense wasn’t there.
A sensational showing by Melton. He didn’t play during the team’s loss on Monday to the New York Knicks, and in the first quarter, he was fittingly the only Warriors player who seemed to have his full legs. He brought much-needed energy until his teammates could catch up, and then he started to take over in the third quarter when the rest of the offense stagnated. He scored in double figures in that frame, which included a tantalizing poster dunk.
Hopefully Steph Curry can get back on the court soon, because I desperately want to see him playing alongside this version of Melton.
GPII had an absurd game cutting without the ball. It seemed every time he was on the court, he made a remarkable backdoor cut and finished at the rim. He also played strong defense on Trae Young, and was a huge factor on the glass, as usual. He’s really been finding a groove lately.
A so-so game from Pat. Like Podziemski, he had a hard time getting separation and easy looks. But he also kept the offense rolling, with some really nice passes that got the offense into motion. He’s not always flashy, but he’s a good quarterback.
This is the type of game that makes it abundantly clear why the Warriors traded for Porziņģis, and why I expect them to re-sign him this offseason. He was nothing short of a star, in every phase of the game. He scored more than a point per minute, and had five stocks while barely playing half the game. Washington’s defense was completely helpless against him, and was forced to foul, foul, and foul some more (you can see how Bam Adebayo did it, can’t you?). When the Warriors needed a bucket, they fed Porziņģis, and he was able to get them one. That’s something that has been sorely missing. He set massive screens, controlled the paint on defense, and looked like the only player that the Wizards had no game plan for. His best game as a Warrior, without a doubt.
Grade: A++ Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.
A really solid game for Leons, who was the only one of the Warriors two-way players to get significant run in this game. He held his own on defense, and showed a lot of fight, hustle, and athleticism in his scoring, which included climbing the ladder for a highlight reel alley-oop.
Just a short burst of minutes for Williams in this game. There will be more minutes for him in some other contests, especially given how frequently everyone on this team gets hurt.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 14: Ronald Acuña Jr. #21 of Team Venezuela rounds the bases after his home run during the first inning against Team Japan during the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot park on March 14, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a battle of the relative underdogs in this semifinal, Venezuela appearing in this round for the first time in 17 years after eliminating tournament favorites and defending champions Japan in the quarters, while Italy made its first ever appearance this late in the tournament. Italy rode their patient, disciplined approach this far in the tournament, but could never come through with the big hit tonight against a transcendent Venezuela bullpen, allowing Arepa Power to come from behind in the seventh and punch their ticket to the World Baseball Classic Championship Game against Team USA.
Semifinals Game 2: Venezuela 4, Italy 2
Michael Lorenzen was supposed to start this game for Team Italy, but manager Francisco Cervelli had a last minute flash of inspiration and switched to Aaron Nola, hoping the Phillies veteran’s experience could carry the day against the dangerous Venezuela lineup. Maikel Garica was the game’s first baserunner, reaching on a one-out bunt single in the first, but he was doubled off at first by a cannon throw from center fielder Jakob Marsee on a Luis Arraez fly out. A more conventional double play ground ball ended the bottom half after Jon Berti reached with a one-out single.
Venezuela starter Keider Montero was on a strict 45-pitch limit after pitching twice over the previous five days, and it became clear in the second why his manager had such a short leash. He gave up a one-out single to Zach Dezenzo and then walked the next three batters he faced, putting Italy on the board, 1-0, and ending his outing at just 34 pitches. Therefore, it was up to a Venezuela bullpen taxed by their efforts against Japan in the quarterfinals to pitch the final 7.2 innings of this game. Dante Nori then rolled over a grounder to the right side resulting in Italy’s second run to score on a fielder’s choice out at second.
Eugenio Suárez signed a one-year deal to return to the Reds this offseason and he finally stamped his mark on this tournament. His 325 home runs are third-most all time for a Venezuelan player behind Miguel Cabrera and Andrés Galarraga, and he did what he does best in the fourth inning, pulling an 0-1 knuckle curve from Nola into the seats in left to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
The game slowed to a relative lull for the next two innings, neither team managing more than a single here, a walk there, a hit batsman there. In the sixth, Italy created their best chance to score since the second, loading the bases on a Dezenzo single, J.J. D’Orazio intentional walk, and Nori single. However, Venezuela reliever Angel Zerpa — yet to give up a run in four relief appearances this tournament — struck out Sam Antonacci to leave all three ducks on the pond.
Originally scheduled Italy starter Lorenzen did come on in relief of Nola after the fourth, and Cervelli’s decision to flip-flop his pitchers appeared paid off with a scoreless fifth and sixth. That is, until there were two outs in the seventh. He issued a leadoff walk to Gleyber Torres but then tallied a quick pair of strikeouts to pull close to escaping the jam. However, he surrendered a pair of ground ball singles to Jackson Chourio and Ronald Acuña Jr., the latter plating pinch-runner Andrés Giménez as the tying run. That prompted Cervelli to emerge from the Italy dugout, but it appeared that Lorenzen managed to talk his manager into staying in the game after a lengthy mound visit, and that’s a decision he and his manager instantly regretted. Lorenzen yielded another pair of two-out singles to Garcia and Arraez to give Venezuela their first lead of the game, 4-2.
From there, the credit belongs to Venezuela’s heavily-used bullpen. Things looked like they could get out of hand after Montero was chased from the game having recorded just four outs. However, Ricardo Sánchez, Luinder Avila, Zerpa, Eduard Bazardo, Andrés Machado, and Daniel Palencia issued a relief gem, tossing 7.2 scoreless frames with just three singles and two walks allowed. Palencia in particular was untouchable, striking out the final two hitters on 99 mph fastballs to lock down the victory, 4-2.
Just like that, we have our WBC Championship Game set, and what a matchup it’s shaping up to be. Both lineups for Team USA and Venezuela are packed with All-Stars, both teams possessing bona fide game-winners. Team USA has the distinct advantage of a day’s rest after downing the Dominican Republic, 2-1, on Sunday, while Venezuela’s bullpen is taxed after two heavy usage elimination games in three days.
USA manager Mark DeRosa selected Mets sophomore pitcher Nolan McLean to start the game despite the hard-throwing 24-year-old having given up three runs in three innings on a pair of home runs in his team’s 8-6 loss to Italy in the final game of pool play. Venezuela will turn to former Red Sox/current Diamondbacks southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez, who could be in for a stern test against Aaron Judge and the rest of the Team USA offense. First pitch is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EDT with the broadcast on FOX.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis scored 30 points, De’Anthony Melton added 27 and the Golden State Warriors snapped a five-game losing streak with a 125-117 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night, earning coach Steve Kerr his 600th career victory.
Golden State is without Stephen Curry (right knee) and Jimmy Butler (torn right ACL), and Seth Curry (left groin) and Al Horford (left calf strain) were also out Monday. The Warriors are almost assured of ending up in the play-in round in the Western Conference, but it matters where among that foursome you finish, and they were able to end their skid against the lowly Wizards.
Washington has dropped 12 in a row, but the Wizards still haven’t taken over last place in the East because Indiana has lost 13 straight.
The Warriors rested Draymond Green, Porzingis and Melton in Sunday’s loss at New York, and those three were able to help them on the second night of this back-to-back. Golden State led by 17 in the second quarter before the Wizards fought back to within two. It was 64-57 at the half.
Golden State led by 15 early in the fourth before the Wizards made one more push. They could draw no closer than five.
Trae Young scored 21 points in 21 minutes for Washington.
HAWKS 124, MAGIC 112
ATLANTA (AP) — Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored a career-high 41 points, Jalen Johnson had his 13th triple-double of the season and Atlanta rolled past the Magic, extending their winning streak to 10 games and snapping Orlando’s at seven.
The Hawks improved to 38-31 and reclaimed eighth place in the Eastern Conference, bumping Philadelphia back to ninth.
Johnson had 24 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists in his second straight triple-double. Dyson Daniels added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Alexander-Walker scored 24 points in the first half, helping Atlanta to a 67-50 lead at halftime. Alexander-Walker’s previous career high was 38 points against the Spurs earlier this season.
The Hawks kept momentum rolling after the intermission, scoring 23 points in the first 5:12 of the third quarter to extend their lead to 29 points. The Hawks totaled 37 points in the period and led 104-83 at the start of the fourth.
Orlando cut the deficit to 12 points with 3 1/2 minutes remaining before Atlanta put the game back out of reach.
Paolo Banchero had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic. Desmond Bane also added 18 points.
TRAIL BLAZERS 114, NETS 95
NEW YORK (AP) — Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara each scored 18 points, and Portland coasted to a victory over Brooklyn.
Donovan Clingan finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds and reserve Scoot Henderson had 16 points for the Blazers, who never trailed and led by as many as 31.
Nic Claxton had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the short-handed Nets, who have lost four consecutive games and 14 of 16. Leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. (ankle) missed his third straight game and Noah Clowney (rest) was held out.
CELTICS 120, SUNS 112
BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 18 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and Jayson Tatum scored 21 in his fifth game back from an Achilles tendon injury to help Boston beat Phoenix.
Devin Booker scored 40 for the Suns, who have lost back-to-back games after snapping a four-game winning streak. Jalen Green scored 21 for Phoenix.
Derrick White, who was presented with February’s Eastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month Award before the game, had 21 points for Boston, and Payton Pritchard scored 19.
PELICANS 129, MAVERICKS 111
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson scored 27 points and New Orleans defeated injury-depleted Dallas.
Saddiq Bey had 23 points, while Jeremiah Fears and Trey Murphy III each added 17 to help the Pelicans win for the eighth time in 12 games.
Naji Marshall scored 32 points for the Mavs against his former team. Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg, the top pick in the 2025 draft, had 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
BULLS 132, GRIZZLIES 107
CHICAGO (AP) — Josh Giddey had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists for his fourth triple-double in five games, and Chicago blew out Memphis to hand the depleted Grizzlies their eighth straight loss.
Giddey is third in the NBA with 12 triple-doubles this season, trailing Nikola Jokic (27) of the Denver Nuggets and Jalen Johnson (13) of the Atlanta Hawks. Giddey is averaging 17.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists, all career highs. The fifth-year guard has been limited to 46 games this season by hamstring and ankle injuries.
Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 29 points, including five 3-pointers. The second-year forward, who was the 11th pick in the 2024 draft, has logged three of the four highest-scoring totals of his career in just the last three weeks.
Tre Jones added 17 points and Rob Dillingham had 15 off the bench for the Bulls, who started a four-game homestand by winning for just the fifth time in their last 23 games. The Bulls, who are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and six games out of the last play-in spot, outscored the Grizzlies 71-50 in the second half.
Cedric Coward led the Grizzlies with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting, and Jaylen Wells and Taylor Hendricks each added 16 points. The Grizzlies, who have shelved standout Zach Edey for the remainder of the season and not had star Ja Morant play for nearly two months, were also without starters Ty Jerome (bruised shoulder) and G.G. Jackson (sore foot). Memphis is 3-15 in its last 18 games.
LAKERS 100, ROCKETS 92
HOUSTON (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 36 points to lead Los Angeles to a victory over Houston in the opener of a two-game series between teams fighting for Western Conference playoff position.
Los Angeles moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Houston for third in the West standings. There were 13 lead changes in a game that had a playoff atmosphere, but the Lakers ultimately won their sixth straight.
LeBron James found Marcus Smart for a corner 3-pointer that put Los Angeles up 94-90 with 2 minutes remaining. James finished with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Doncic hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the fading minutes of the third quarter to give the Lakers an 83-80 lead after trailing 57-51 at halftime. Doncic was 4 for 12 on 3s in the game and needs 11 more to match D’Angelo Russell’s franchise record of 226 in a season.
Doncic had his sixth straight game with 30 or more points but fell just short of his 12th 40-point game this season. He went 14 for 27 from the field.
Jabari Smith Jr. led Houston with 22 points. Amen Thompson had 19 and Kevin Durant added 18 for the Rockets, who committed 24 turnovers compared with just 12 for Los Angeles.
SPURS 119, CLIPPERS 115
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and San Antonio overcame an early 14-point deficit before blowing most of a 24-point lead and recovering to hold off Los Angeles.
Stephon Castle had 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lead the Spurs (50-18), who reached 50 wins for the first time since 2016-17 and trail the first-place Thunder by three games in the West. Devin Vassell added 20 points.
Fighting to secure a spot for the play-in tournament, the Clippers’ second straight loss dropped them back to .500 with Kawhi Leonard watching from the bench. The NBA’s sixth-leading scorer sat out with a sprained left knee.
Darius Garland led six Clippers in double figures with 25 points and 10 assists. Jordan Miller had 22 points off the bench, which outscored the Spurs’ reserves 57-30.
And even as McLean has opened eyes with the Mets both in the spring — as well as down the stretch last season after being called up to the majors — Carlos Mendoza said this will be a type of environment the rookie has never seen before.
Most importantly, the manager hopes McLean finishes the game unscathed.
“I have mixed feelings,” Mendoza said Monday at Clover Park before the Mets faced the Nationals. “I’m not gonna lie.”
The biggest fear among organizations is that an important player will be lost to injury in the tournament, as the Mets know well after Edwin Díaz was knocked out for the 2023 season when he suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee while celebrating a win for Team Puerto Rico in that year’s WBC.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza talks in the dugout. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
But Mendoza also knows how much McLean can gain from pitching in that type of game.
“You’re representing your country and you’ve got the whole world watching you,” Mendoza said. “In this case, he’s got ‘USA’ on his chest, playing with and against the best players. It’s going to be intense. That doesn’t mean the intensity is not the same at the big league level. The big leagues are the big leagues, but this is something different. It’ll be definitely different than what he experienced last year.”
With that comes the concern that he tries to do too much at this point of the spring.
“That’s on the back of the mind of people and organizations,” Mendoza said. “I’m pretty sure the Pirates felt the same way with [Paul] Skenes pitching. … You hold your breath.”
Nolan McLean #26 of Team United States pitches in the second inning against Team Italy during the 2026 World Baseball Classic – Pool B at Daikin Park on March 10, 2026. Getty Images
In the end, though, Mendoza is confident McLean is up for the challenge.
“As far as him pitching in that environment, he’s wired, he’s built for moments like that based on what we saw last year,” he said. “I’ve been around him and said the moment is never too big for him. It’ll be fun and I’ll be watching.”
Watching, and one other thing: “We’ll be praying.”
Francisco Lindor felt good Monday, according to Carlos Mendoza, after playing Sunday in his first Grapefruit League game since he underwent left hamate bone surgery last month.
The shortstop was a full participant in Monday’s drills. If he doesn’t report any setbacks, Mendoza said Lindor would play Tuesday in Jupiter and then begin playing back-to-back days following Wednesday’s team off-day.
Carson Benge is still trying to land a spot on the Opening Day roster and started Monday’s game in right field.
Mendoza and the front office have declined to tip their hand about the top prospect’s chances of making the team out of spring training.
“He needs to continue to play his game,’’ Mendoza said. “There’s a lot that can happen by Opening Day. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He doesn’t have to do anything extra. Just let us make the decision.”
Carlos Mendoza had a conversation with Mark Vientos on Sunday.
The Mets' skipper just wanted to sit the 26-year-old slugger down amid his continued spring training struggles at the plate to remind him that he already has a place on this team.
Mendoza didn’t necessarily get the sense that Vientos needed to hear that, but he felt it was important for him.
“It’s the human-element,” he said. “They are competitors going out there, they want to see results -- I think the past couple of years he comes into camp trying to make the team, and we know he is part of this team moving forward.
“I thought it was just important for him, like we’re not looking for results here we’re just looking for quality at-bats and as long as you’re seeing the ball well and swinging it good, that’s all that matters right now.”
Vientos responded by going 0-for-4 again on Monday night.
He is now hitless in three games since returning from a sluggish World Baseball Classic.
While the infielder did strikeout for the sixth time this spring during his second plate appearance, he did also hit into another tough luck out before that.
After youngster Carson Benge opened the bottom of the first with a seven-pitch walk, Vientos dug in and scorched an up and in slider from Nationals left-hander Zach Penrod for a 106.4 mph liner.
It was the eighth-hardest hit ball of the night, unfortunately it was directly at the left fielder, which has been the story of his spring to this point.
There's no denying Vientos is struggling, but he has been hitting the ball hard, which gives Mendoza confidence he can find his way out of it.
“We’re not putting too much into results right now,” the skipper emphasized. “The biggest thing for him is just continue to see the ball well, continue to make hard contact, and continue to work hard defensively.
“He’s going to be a big player for us. He’s going to be a big bat, and we’re counting on him. I’m pretty confident that we’re going to get a really good version of Mark Vientos.”
NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 16: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 16, 2026 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks leaned further into the tank on Monday night, falling 129-111 to the New Orleans Pelicans in a game that never truly felt competitive down the stretch. Dallas showed brief life early, but couldn’t sustain it as the Pelicans controlled the pace and physicality for most of the night. Naji Marshall led the Mavericks with 32 points, continuing his strong stretch, while Cooper Flagg added 21 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in another all-around performance. For New Orleans, Zion Williamson dominated with 27 points on highly efficient shooting, and Trey Murphy III chipped in 17 points as the Pelicans generated consistent offense and pulled away comfortably.
The Mavericks opened with good early energy, getting contributions across the board as P.J. Washington knocked down multiple threes and Cooper Flagg immediately impacted the game as both a scorer and playmaker, helping Dallas briefly grab control. Flagg was especially active early, finishing in transition and creating for others, while Marvin Bagley added efficient scoring with a three and a lob to keep the offense flowing. But that rhythm didn’t last, as the Pelicans—led by Zion Williamson’s relentless rim pressure and a scoring burst from Saddiq Bey—flipped the game by attacking the paint and getting to the line. Dallas’ offense stalled late in the first with missed shots and turnovers, while New Orleans consistently generated clean looks, shot 57.1% compared to Dallas’ 41.7%, and took control of the glass, leading to a 32-26 deficit.
The Mavericks tried to stabilize things in the second quarter, with Naji Marshall finishing inside and Max Christie knocking down a three to briefly spark the offense, but that push quickly faded. Zion continued to live at the rim while Trey Murphy III added timely shot-making, and New Orleans kept forcing Dallas into tough, late-clock looks. As the quarter went on, the Mavericks’ offense completely unraveled, with missed layups, blocked shots, and empty possessions piling up while the Pelicans generated second chances and free throws to extend the lead. Even when Dallas showed small flashes late, every run was immediately answered, and the execution gap remained clear. By halftime, it was 67-54, with the Mavericks still unable to find any consistent rhythm on either end.
The third quarter opened with Dallas trying to make a push, as P.J. Washington knocked down a three and Naji Marshall followed with a pull-up and transition finishes, briefly trimming the deficit to around 89-76 and giving the Mavericks some life. Marshall stayed aggressive early, scoring on multiple possessions and even setting up Washington, as Dallas showed a short stretch of rhythm. Still, that window closed quickly as Zion Williamson got downhill for layups and free throws while Trey Murphy III added a reverse finish and helped generate turnovers into easy points. Midway through the quarter, it fully unraveled—after a Washington dunk cut it to 96-82, Dallas had chances to build momentum but came up empty on a missed Washington three, a blocked Marshall layup, and a bad turnover from Derrick Queen, all in a short stretch. New Orleans immediately capitalized with a Matković three, Murphy layup, and Johnson finish, pushing the lead right back out and erasing any progress, and from there the Mavericks couldn’t convert stops into offense as missed jumpers and empty possessions piled up. By the end of the quarter, it had turned into an 86-103 deficit, and the fourth never offered any real energy or comeback window.
It quickly shifted into an extended run for the two-way and end-of-rotation guys, with Dallas opening on mostly empty possessions, including missed threes from Ryan Nembhard, while New Orleans calmly added points at the line through Jordan Hawkins. The Mavericks had a few scattered moments, like an A.J. Johnson alley-oop to Nembhard, but nothing that resembled a real run as stalled possessions continued. New Orleans didn’t need to do much, simply maintaining control with a Matković three and free throws from Saddiq Bey to keep the margin comfortable, and from there it fully turned into garbage-time basketball with both teams trading misses and turnovers. Dallas never seriously threatened, and it quietly closed as a 129-111 final, a finish that felt more like a formality than a comeback opportunity.
Another Good Loss
This loss matters more than it looks because Dallas is stuck in one of the most volatile spots on the lottery board, where every single result swings real odds. Right now, the Mavericks are sitting around 6th–7th in the lottery standings, tightly packed with teams like the Pelicans and Grizzlies, and even one win or loss can flip that order. From the Tankathon data, that difference is massive around this range; you’re talking roughly 8% odds at No. 1, but if you slide just a couple spots, those odds drop quickly, while your chances of falling out of the top tier increase.
That’s what makes games like this so important. The Pelicans are in a unique spot where they don’t even control their pick, so they have no real incentive to lose, which creates an opportunity for Dallas to pass them in the standings if they keep losing. At the same time, Memphis is right behind them, meaning the Mavericks are essentially in a three-team tug-of-war where every result reshuffles positioning.
So this isn’t just another late-season loss; it’s a direct movement in a crowded lottery race. Instead of risking a meaningless win and dropping a spot, Dallas stays in range of jumping higher, which matters because worse records mean more ping-pong ball combinations and better chances at a top-four pick. As the season winds down, this is the reality: the difference between the 5th and 8th lottery slot could be the difference between landing a franchise player or missing that tier entirely, which is why losses like this quietly carry real long-term weight.
Another Fun Flagg Game
Cooper Flagg was once again one of the few bright spots for Dallas, continuing what has quietly been a really strong stretch of basketball over the past week. He finished tonight with 21 points on 10-of-21 shooting, along with 8 assists and 7 rebounds, consistently creating offense even as the team around him struggled to find rhythm. What stood out wasn’t just the scoring, but how involved he was in everything, initiating sets, pushing in transition, and making the right reads when the defense collapsed. Over his last five games, Flagg has been steadily productive, putting up 27, 25, 13, 14, and 17 points, while maintaining solid efficiency and contributing across the board as a rebounder and playmaker.
More importantly, his impact goes beyond the box score. Even in losses like this, he’s been the one stabilizing presence, keeping possessions alive, generating looks for others, and showing flashes of control that you don’t usually see from a young player. The scoring has been consistent, the playmaking is trending up, and the all-around production is becoming the norm rather than the exception. As the Mavericks lean further into development down the stretch, Flagg isn’t just putting up numbers; he’s starting to look like the clear centerpiece of everything they’re building.
DALLAS (AP) — Jack McBain’s tie-breaking shorthanded goal early in the third period began a four-goal outburst and led the Utah Mammoth to a 6-3 win over Dallas on Monday night, ending the Stars’ point streak at a franchise-record 15 games.
Clayton Keller, Kailer Yamamoto, Michael Carcone, Lawson Crouse and defenseman Nate Schmidt also scored for the Mammoth, who hold the Western Conference’s first wild-card position by five points. Vitek Vanecek, making his 16th start of the season, stopped 27 shots.
Wyatt Johnston, Sam Steel and Adam Erne scored for the Stars, who lost in regulation for the first time since Jan. 22, going 14-0-1. Dallas also had a 15-game streak in its 1998-99 Stanley Cup season (12-0-3).
McBain gained possession just outside Utah’s blue line following a turnover by Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen. Skating in alone, McBain lifted a backhander past Casey DeSmith at 4:16 of the third period for a 3-2 lead.
DeSmith made 16 saves and saw a personal four-game win streak end.
Dallas has the second-most points in the league (94) and will play its next two games, both on the road, against the teams just ahead of them (Colorado) and just behind them (Minnesota) in the Central Division.
Yamamoto added an insurance goal almost four minutes later followed by Carcone’s power-play goal and Crouse’s empty-netter in the final minutes.
It was McBain’s seventh goal of the season, ending a 20-game goal drought that began Jan. 15.
Schmidt ended a 15-game goal drought since he had two goals and four points on Jan. 17.
Mark Vientos has struggled at the plate this spring.
Observations from Mets spring training on Monday.
Alvarez is all right
After being hampered by injuries early last year, Francisco Alvarez continued his solid spring with a double, impressing Carlos Mendoza with his rhythm at the plate.
Mark Vientos has struggled at the plate this spring. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Hit or miss
Maybe Mark Vientos is saving his hits for the regular season. He’s 1-for-25 for the Mets after another hitless night.
Mendoza said he spoke with the slugger. “He’s fine,” the manager said. “I told him, ‘You’re on the team. You’re not trying to make the team. Continue to get hard contact, and work defensively. He’s gonna be a big player for us.”
Caught my eye
Christian Scott has shown flashes of promise in his comeback from Tommy John surgery, but he struggled against Washington, allowing a homer and a double to the DH.
Tuesday’s schedule
Sean Manaea takes the mound against the Marlins in Jupiter, Fla. at 1:10 p.m. in a spring in which the left-hander’s velocity has been down.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes had three assists to extend his productive run since scoring the gold medal-winning goal for the U.S. at the Olympics, and the New Jersey Devils dented the Boston Bruins’ playoff chances by beating them 4-3 in overtime Monday night.
Hughes set up Connor Brown’s goal to become the fastest player in franchise history to 400 career points. He also had a hand in Jesper Bratt’s goal and assisted on Paul Cotter’s winner with 6.2 seconds left in 3-on-3 overtime to reach 402 in his 414th regular-season game. Hughes has 12 points in 10 games since returning from Milan.
Cotter also scored early in the third period to give New Jersey a 3-2 lead before David Pastrnak tied it 1:42 later.
Pastrnak scored twice, including a highlight-reel masterpiece that made it 3-all, but he and the Bruins blew a two-goal lead and the chance for their first back-to-back victories since Jan. 27 and 29. Pavel Zacha also scored his 20th of the season against his old team, while Joonas Korpisalo allowed four goals on 34 shots as Boston kept up a pattern of alternating wins and losses since the NHL season resumed from the Olympic break.
The Bruins are clinging to the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference after getting passed by Detroit when the Red Wings beat Calgary on Monday night. With 15 games left, Boston has 81 points, two ahead of Columbus and four up on Ottawa.
Jacob Markstrom stopped 19 shots for the Devils. The teams combined to take 10 penalties, including a pair of fighting majors in the final 11 minutes of regulation.
Up next
Bruins: Visit Atlantic Division-rival and likely playoff-bound Montreal on Tuesday night.
Devils: After finishing a seven-game homestand, they play their first of five in a row on the road Wednesday night at the New York Rangers.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 03: Ben Brown #32 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in a game against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field on September 3, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome back to another week at BCB After Dark: the hippest hot spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit wit us. No matter if the weather is hot or cold out there, the vibe in here is cool. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last week I asked you what was Team USA manager Mark DeRosa’s biggest mistake in the loss to Italy in the World Baseball Classic. Forty-four percent of you said that DeRosa never should have started rookie Nolan McLean. Another 25 percent thought that starting Paul Goldschmidt over Bryce Harper was his biggest boner.
Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. You can skip that if you want. You won’t hurt my feelings.
Tonight we’re featuring a classic performance from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers from 1958. Lee Morgan is on trumpet, Benny Golson on saxophone, Jymie Merritt on bass and Bobby Timmons on pianto.
This is “Whisper Not.”
So the Academy Awards were last night and One Battle After Another won Best Picture. Unless you worked on the film. I’m telling you that you should not care. I’ve seen way too many arguments about it online today.
Tonight I’m continuing my series of offering my thoughts of the top ten films in the 2022 BFI Sight & Sound critics poll of the greatest film of all time. Of all such polls, this is the one that is considered the most “canonical.” Although none of them won an Oscar for Best Picture or Best Foreign Film, which ties into my previous paragraph. But even with the the BFI list, I don’t agree with all of the top ten picks in the poll and I imagine that literally no one does. We all have our own opinions and that’s fine. Like the Oscars, have fun with this but don’t take it too seriously.
My plan was to do two short pieces on each film at a time, but once again I got too involved in writing up Beau Travail that I’m going to put off Mulholland Drive until next time. In any case, it would have been a major feat for me to not go on and on about Mulholland Drive, so me writing a little too much on Beau Travail tonight is probably a good thing.
7. Beau Travail (1999). Directed by Claire Denis. Starring Denis Lavant, Michel Subor and Grégoire Colin.
Beau Travail (“Nice Work”) is director Claire Denis’ re-imagining of the Herman Melville novella Billy Budd. The setting of this psychological drama is changed from a Royal Navy ship during the French Revolutionary Wars to the modern-day French Foreign Legion in Djibouti. The entire story is told in flashback by a former Legionnaire with very little dialogue. The film is quiet, deliberate and poetic. Denis grew up in French Colonial Africa and she definitely has an eye for the continent’s beauty.
I’ve never read Billy Budd, but I have seen the 1962 Peter Ustinov-directed film version that starred Terence Stamp, Robert Ryan and Ustinov, so I’m somewhat dangerously basing some of my thoughts on that. Denis makes some clever adjustments to the Melville story. For one, rather than focusing on the characters played by Stamp (Budd) and Ustinov (Captain Vere), Lavant plays Galoup, which is the equivalent of the Ryan role, who is the villain of the Ustinov film. So the villain of Billy Budd becomes the protagonist, although definitely not the hero, of Beau Travail. It’s an interesting switch. Certainly in the Ustinov film, we’re supposed to identify with the unfair abuse that Billy is subjected to. That’s just not that interesting to Denis. What’s more interesting are the rather inscrutable motivations of the abuser.
Also, by setting Beau Travail in the modern day also takes the death penalty off the table, so Denis had to come up with a creative way to work that in anyways.
Galoup is our narrator, who tells us of his time in the French Foreign Legion in Djibouti. He has a local girlfriend, whom he goes dancing with at the clubs. He loves his service in the Legion and admires his commanding officer Forestier (Subor). His entire concept of his own self is tied up in his image of himself as a Legionnaire. He loves the self-discipline and order that comes with being in the Legion.
Galoup’s world is shook when a new recruit, Gilles Sentain (Colin), joins the unit. Galoup instantly takes a strong dislike to Sentain. Galoup believes that Sentain is a malignant force in the unit and in particular, he dislikes the interest that Forestier is taking in him. To be clear, Sentain has given Galoup no particular reason to hate him. He’s been nothing but a quiet soldier who does his job. This is something carried over from Billy Budd, or at least the Ustinov film version. (Reading a summary of the novella, Melville posits that Claggart envies Billy’s good looks.) Galoup warns Forestier of the malign force that he believes Sentain represents, but his warnings are ignored by Forestier because there is nothing behind them. Eventually, there’s a confrontation between the two men which changes the lives of both of them.
There isn’t much dialogue in Beau Travail and the story is pushed along by Galoup talking about his memories after he returned to France. Denis luxuriates in the beauty of the East African desert and honestly, the men. If you’re the type who enjoys a film featuring lots of buff, shirtless men sweating while working and exercising in the hot African sun, this is the movie for you. There’s a definite homosexual subtext to the entire film, but it never bubbles to the surface. Maybe sexual attraction is the reason that Galoup hates Sentain so much, but we’re given no reason to think either one is gay and Galoup did have a native girlfriend whom he clearly misses after he returned to France.
In fact, much of what makes Beau Travail a good film is how much is left unsaid. Denis lets the images of the men, the desert and the battle between the two do most of the talking. It’s a beautiful and wistful series of images that tell a compelling tale.
Would I put it in my top ten? Here’s where the film loses me. Were I Siskel or Ebert back in the nineties and asked my opinion of Beau Travail, I’d give it an enthusiastic thumbs up. But as one of the ten greatest films of all time? No way. Denis was the assistant director on director Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire (she was the one to brilliantly suggest Peter Falk for the film) and I think Wings of Desire is the clearly better film. That film is a candidate for my list of the greatest ten films of all time. I could probably name close to a hundred films that I would vote for before I’d consider Beau Travail. So while I agree that the film should be acclaimed and that it should be somewhere in the BFI Sight & Sound Top 250, I think number seven is way too high. But you shouldn’t take that as criticism. You should still watch it.
Here’s a trailer from the 4K restoration of Beau Travail.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
We’ve heard this story before. Brown was a very promising pitching prospect that the Cubs got from the Phillies in 2022 for David Robertson. He made his major league debut in 2024 and between that year and last year, he’s been bouncing between the starting rotation and the bullpen. He’s been quite poor (5.26 ERA) over the course of his career as a starter. He’s been just “below average” as a reliever in his career with a 4.79 ERA.
Brown has struggled in his career despite some nasty stuff, an excellent strikeout rate and solid control. In that Baseball Prospectus article, Maddie Landis argues that Brown’s problem is that he’s been a two-pitch pitcher. Despite his fastball being around 96 miles per hour, it’s very hittable because, among other reasons, he catches too much of the plate with it too often. His knuckle-curve should be elite, but she argues that with only two real pitches, it’s too predictable. When major league hitters can guess what you’re throwing, even elite stuff is hittable.
Should this sinker turn out to be a real weapon for Brown, Landis argues that Brown has number-two starter upside. With a good third pitch, hitters will no longer be able to guess on the other two pitches and be right at least half the time. (Brown also has a changeup, but he rarely throws it because it’s not very good.)
The problem with Brown starting this year is that the Cubs already have a full starting rotation. Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, Shōta Imanaga and Jameson Taillon are already written down as the rotation to start the season. Justin Steele looks to be ready to go by Memorial Day.
So Brown will almost certainly start the season in the bullpen. But will he stay there? Pitchers get hurt. Also, Jameson Taillon hasn’t looked great in Spring Training. Nor was he great in the World Baseball Classic for Canada. We’ve talked about Imanaga’s struggles at the end of last season. If either one of them continue to struggle and Brown is pitching well out of the bullpen, then the Cubs will have to consider making a move to put Brown in the rotation.
Of course, this all assumes that Brown’s is as successful against regular season hitters as it is against the ones in Spring Training. It also assumes that Brown can go deep into games and throw 90 to 100 pitches every fifth day instead of 15-20 two or three times a week.
So do you think Brown will be more of a reliever or a starter in 2026? I asked in what role will he throw the most innings, because it’s hard to compare appearances as a reliever to appearances as a starter.
Thanks so very much for stopping by. We hope you’ve enjoyed yourself. Please get home safely. We want you to stop by again. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 16: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns looks to pass the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics on March 16, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Suns came into this game needing a very important win to get them back on track. With this six-game road trip underway, the team would look to sneak a win to make it 3-1 on the road back out West. That said, you cannot always get what you want, and Phoenix ran into a strong Celtic team. Even with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum available for Boston, it was not as big a blowout as it was at home.
Devin Booker tried his hardest to keep this team afloat, visiting the arena where he dropped his career high. Veen, though he was shy of that number, did have a big part in this offense’s success, as he had 40 points. Jaylen Brown was the major difference-maker for Boston, scoring 41 points, the highest in the game.
Game Flow
First Half
This one got off to the right start the Suns wanted to, after the disappointing loss to Toronto the other night. The team came out guns blazing with a Royce O’Neale three-pointer, one that has become very valuable for this team as of late. What also helps the Suns is their three-point percentage. As of the start, they are 4/6 from three. Big shots from Collin Gillespie and Green have kept this team in front early on. Not to mention that Green already had a very nice slam as well.
Boston is not slacking, though, as they bring the pressure and try to match the Suns’ shot-making and physicality. Big makes by Jayson Tatum have kept the fans on their feet and excited for the contest ahead.
Well, that short-lived leave decimated quickly as the Suns, who were up as much as seven, allowed the Celtics to get back into this one and tie it up. With them now picking up the intensity defensively, they pressured the Suns and forced some turnovers to tie it up.
As we all know, this game is just a back-and-forth of runs, and that is what happened early on. After that, though, both teams went to work trying to steal the lead from one another. Luckily for Phoenix, though, they were able to have the lead by one, 32-31, after the first.
Unfortunately for Phoenix, they got a three-point barrage to start the second quarter as Derrick White could not miss. He went 3/3 from three-point land, forcing them to reevaluate how they would attack this quarter.
This eventually leveled out for the Suns, who tried to crawl back into this one and had opportunities to do so. Boston just kept on making shots. Remember how I said the Suns were shooting great? Well, now they are shooting worse than Boston, sadly.
Jalen Green, though, has made it known he is here in Boston, taking command and trying to bring this offense back together. It may not be as beautiful a three-point barrage as the last game, but he is finding his spots to get in rhythm.
The Celtics, though, also found their rhythm and started to change the tune for Phoenix. The Suns ended the second quarter with a great run from Devin Booker, who started to get into his bag, but the Suns were now down four, 65-61, at halftime. They were led by Booker, who had 19 points on 7/11 shooting from the field. Not only has he been making some big shots, but he has four assists, a rebound, and a dunk to show for his performance so far.
Second Half
To start the second half, the Suns looked to go back to the man who closed out the first, Devin Booker. He found his shots going in as he started attacking the basket, looking for calls, and hitting threes. He had eight straight to open up the quarter for the team.
That being said, the Suns had some defensive issues as the Celtics hunted mismatches with both Brown and Tatum out there. Some easy baskets for that duo, then made this a nine-point game for the Celtics. We saw in this quarter that, at times, the offense was stagnant, as Devin Booker scored 23 straight points for the team.
This doesn’t help when Grayson Allen is dealing with an injury after colliding with another player’s knee earlier on. He is still playing, but is not as much of a focal point of the offense now. The Suns are still trying to get Jalen Green involved and find some confidence from behind the arc. They are now shooting 32% from three compared to Boston’s 45%, which sees them still down 6.
This third quarter would not be the worst for Phoenix, though, as they continued to fight in this one. Jordan Goodwin finally got on the board after already generating some nice opportunities with his rebounds. This then put the Suns ahead heading into the fourth, down five, 91-86. Even with some great shotmaking from Booker, who now has 35, they still find themselves behind.
To start the fourth quarter, we saw a lot of similar play from Phoenix early on. Some stagnant guard play was evident, as they tried to create opportunities by drawing fouls while driving to the basket or firing relentless threes. It also doesn’t help when Boston is making those threes in return, and the crowd is answering.
That being said, Boston did make it a contest of its own halfway through, as they went back down to only two points. Some big shots from Jalen Green and another great sequence from Haywood Highsmith kept them alive in this one. Highsmith is now 4/4 from three-point land and has kept the Suns in this one on both ends of the floor.
He was a major factor in this swing as he and Goodwin coming into this game helped shift the Suns defensively. They were able to claw back alive and put themselves back in the lead with a Dunk from Oso Ighodaro. That being said. The Celtics were not going to shy away from this one, as Jaylen Brown continued to pour it on for Boston and helped them take back the lead. He had 41 for the Celtics, and even though Booker had 40 points, it was just not enough.
A valiant effort from this group against a top team that matches up against them well. Even though they lost, there were many positives from this game. Like Booker being explosive on offense, Highsmith fitting into the rotation, and some good intangibles from the rookies.
Up Next
The Suns gear up for another game on the road and back-to-back, taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow!
DETROIT (AP) — Patrick Kane scored twice for Detroit to move into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time goals list for NHL players born in the U.S. and lead the Red Wings to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
Kane has 504 career goals, trailing Mike Modano (561), Keith Tkachuk (538) and Jeremy Roenick (513). The 19th-year veteran entered the night tied with Joe Mullen (502). Earlier this season, Kane passed Modano to become the highest-scoring American-born player in league history. Kane now has 1,383 career points in 1,355 games.
Emmitt Finnie, Moritz Seider and Dominik Shine also scored and Alex DeBrincat had three assists for the Red Wings, who started a four-game homestand by stopping a three-game losing streak.
J.T. Compher added two assists and John Gibson made 25 saves for Detroit, which moved into a tie with Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens have two games in hand on the Red Wings, who currently occupy the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Morgan Frost scored late in the first period to put the Flames on the board first, but Detroit scored three times in a span of 5:34 early in the second period to take control. Kane had the first and third goals in that surge.
Matt Coronato added a goal and an assist and Dustin Wolf made 20 saves for Calgary, which finished a five-game road trip through the Eastern Conference at 1-4. The Flames, who have the NHL’s second-worst record ahead of only Pacific Division rival Vancouver, are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games.
DEVILS 4, BRUINS 3, OT
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes had three assists to extend his productive run since scoring the gold medal-winning goal for the U.S. at the Olympics, and New Jersey dented Boston's playoff chances by beating them in overtime.
Hughes set up Connor Brown’s goal to become the fastest player in franchise history to 400 career points. He also had a hand in Jesper Bratt’s goal and assisted on Paul Cotter’s winner with 6.2 seconds left in 3-on-3 overtime to reach 402 in his 414th regular-season game. Hughes has 12 points in 10 games since returning from Milan.
Cotter also scored early in the third period to give New Jersey a 3-2 lead before David Pastrnak tied it 1:42 later.
KINGS 4, RANGERS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Laferriere had a goal and two assists to lead Los Angeles to a win over New York.
Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson and Trevor Moore also scored for Los Angeles, which has won three of five.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 shots.
Despite 22 saves from Igor Shesterkin, New York’s four-game winning streak ended.
Vincent Trocheck’s power-play goal 2:29 into the third period spoiled Kuemper’s bid for his third shutout of the season.
It was a game the Detroit Red Wings needed to have, and in the end, they got the job done.
Future Hall of Fame forward Patrick Kane scored twice on St. Patrick's Day Eve, helping Detroit pick up a 5-2 victory at Little Caesars Arena over the visiting Calgary Flames, the 31st-ranked team in the NHL.
With the win, the Red Wings are now tied with the Montreal Canadiens with 82 points apiece, but remain in the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Bruins, who were beaten in overtime by the New Jersey Devils, are in the WC2 spot with 81 points.
It was the Flames who capitalized in the opening 20 minutes of play, getting a goal from Morgan Frost at the 17:35 mark.
However, Detroit didn't have to wait long to knot the score once the second period began. Kane scored the 503rd goal of his career at 1:03, beating goaltender Dustin Wolf on a breakaway after taking a feed from Alex DeBrincat.
It was another milestone marker for Kane, who passed Joe Mullen for the fourth-most goals scored by a U.S.-born player in NHL history.
Detroit would soon strike twice in short order, starting with a tally from rookie Emmitt Finnie; he capitalized on a pretty three-way passing play from Lucas Raymond and Albert Johansson and had a tap-in at the side of the net.
Just 1:31 later, Kane finished another nifty feed from DeBrincat, redirecting the pass on his backhand past Wolf for career goal No. 504.
While Calgary got a fortunate bounce when Matt Coronato's pass on a two-on-one rush deflected off defenseman Moritz Seider past John Gibson, the 2022 Calder Trophy winner soon got the last laugh.
Seider restored Detroit's two-goal lead with a laser of a wrist shot past the blocker of Wolf while on the power-play for his ninth goal of the season.
Dominik Shine, who dropped the gloves during the first period and had tallied the first NHL goal of his career in last week's win over the Devils, capped the scoring with his second NHL goal while Wolf was on the bench for an extra attacker.
Gibson finished with 25 saves, while Wolf countered with 20 saves.
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The Brooklyn Nets lost another game on Monday night, this time at home to the Portland Trail Blazers. Trailing by over 20 points in the first half and then by 31 in the third quarter, the outcome was never really in doubt, save for a wonky fourth quarter where the visitors — who played in Philadelphia the night before — briefly forgot how to play basketball, shooting half their lead in the foot.
The Nets started three rookies next to Ziaire Williams and Nic Claxton, and though little can be gleaned from the veterans in a very March game such as this, this size discrepancy between Claxton and 7’2” Blazers center Donovan Clingan was my big takeaway. That’s not exactly why the Nets were immediately down big — the Blazers shot 5-of-8 from three to open the quarter — but they also grabbed five o-boards (Clingan had three) to Brooklyn’s one. Clingan had multiple plays where he contested the rim before also preventing the Nets from getting on the glass, another solemn reminder of Claxton’s long-term limitations.
That said, Claxton did have his dunk of the year in this one, off an alley-oop…
…and finished with a 12-and-11 double-double, doing some damage while Clingan sat on the bench with foul trouble before predictably sitting out the fourth quarter.
Just as in Philadelphia, though, Brooklyn’s bench impressed more than the starters, and may have deserved to close this one even if the Nets were earnestly trying to win. Ben Saraf (the only Nets first-round rookie who didn’t start) scored ten of his 15 points in the final frame, saving what had previously been an uninspiring night. With an NBA-record three Israelis (Saraf, Deni Avdija, and Danny Wolf via naturalization) playing in this one, Saraf got plenty of crowd support in this one.
“It was great. I was waiting for this game a long time.” said Saraf postgame.
Wolf had a particularly rough start offensively in this one and finished with 8/5/4 on 3-of-9 shooting, while the All-Star Advija didn’t have his best game either, putting up 18/6/5 on 4-of-13 shooting and plenty of trips to the line. No matter, the Blazers didn’t need a heroic effort from any one player, shooting 51% from the floor and 42% from three in this one. If they hadn’t turned it over six times in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, they might’ve secured an even bigger win.
Credit, however, to the feisty Nets. Tyson Etienne also scored 15 points, one off his career-high. Playing without a true back-up five, E.J. Liddell and Chaney Johnson took turns screening and playing the DHO game, and it was the 6’7” Johnson that stood out. He hit a couple pick-and-pop threes, he crashed the glass with aplomb, and finished with 17/9/1 on 6-of-8 shooting, including five o-boards and two 3-pointers in a career night.
Fernández heaped praise on the two-way player, postgame: “He plays bigger than what he is. His length, you know, he may get overlooked, but he can guard almost everybody. He is super active, super athletic. He can shoot the three, like, he does everything well, and he doesn’t try to do too much, and I think that always helps. You see that every time he’s on the court, it’s positive … these games are not wasted. These games are for us to see, you know, how these guys take advantage of their minutes, how much better they can get.”
Career night for Nets' two-way Chaney Johnson moonlighting as a back-up 5
“I try my best to play as hard as I can,” said Johnson. “So I mean, you know, the 5 is lot of pick-and-pops, pick-and-roll, short rolls, trying to get everybody else involved.”
Sadly, this may not be the bright spot Nets fans are hoping for in these low-stakes spring games. Drake Powell and Nolan Traore combined to shoot just 2-of-14 in this one. Powell missed rim on his first two 3-pointers, while Traore was overwhelmed dealing with Clingan inside.
On Traore, Fernández said, “He looks exhausted, and more than physically, mentally. And [this is] something that is good for him to go through it and understand how much, like, stronger he needs to get, and understand what it is to play almost every other night, and all those things, right?”
Right indeed, though a process that will certainly test Nets’ fans patience. We should all be used to that by now, right? Only 14 games left.
Final Score: Portland Trail Blazers 114, Brooklyn Nets 95
Milestone Watch
Chaney Johnson scored a total of 18 points in his first four NBA appearances before scoring 17 in this one. The highlight of his young career, by any definition.
As previously mentioned, 15 points mark Tyson Etienne’s season-high, one off his career-high.
Nic Claxton recorded his 11th double-double of the season and the 87th of his career, passing Sam Bowie for the eighth-most in Nets franchise history.
In addition to his 15 points, Ben Saraf recorded four steals. He is the first Nets rookie with 4+ steals in a game since David Duke Jr. on 2/8/22 vs. BOS.
It was the 11th time the Nets lost a game wire-to-wire, worst in the NBA.
It was also the 11th time that Nets have gone down by 30 points in a game this season, the most since 1995-96.
Tankathon Update
The Washington Wizards lost their 12th straight on Monday, while the Pacers are on a baker’s dozen. Yeesh. However, the Sacramento Kings have caught fire, winning two straight and three-of-four. So…
Tankathon.com<br>
Injury Report
The Brooklyn Nets were short-handed on Monday night, but not too short-handed given the circumstances. In addition to Egor Dëmin and Day’Ron Sharpe, whose seasons are already over, Noah Clowney missed the game with rest, Terance Mann with left achilles soreness, and Michael Porter Jr. with an ankle sprain.
It was MPJ’s third straight absence with the ankle sprain, and though Brooklyn has not revealed how severe the injury, Jordi Fernández discussed his leading scorer’s health pregame: “Yeah, not qualified to talk about grades [of sprains], but I can share with you that he did form shooting last game that we played, and today is going to be his first workout. So let’s see how he feels after. It’s getting better, and then we’ll assess.”
Next Up
<p>Joshua Gateley/Getty Images</p>
The MVP is in town. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City visit Barclays Center as the Nets continue their homestand. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday evening.
